Back to East Timor
by Ana Fluttersby
Summary: On Hiatus: Though, it can be read as a One-shot. Bella Swan is a U.N volunteer that goes back to East Timor, even against her father wishes. What will she find there besides hard work and the reality of a recently devastated country?


**An Officer and A Gentlemen Contest**

**Title: **Back to East Timor.

**Your pen name(s): **Anabella Cullen

**Branch of Service/Profession: **U.N. Personnel: Doctor, International Civilian Police, Crime Scene Investigation.

**Pairing: **Canon pairings. Edward/Bella.

**Disclaimer:**

Stephenie Meyer owns all things Twilight.I have never work for the United Nations.I have never been to East Timor. It´s not my intention to emit any opinion about the terrible conflict that happened there. Facts are Facts. No disrespect is not a history lesson or a political analysis. As such, some parts of this story may not be aligned with actual professions cited here are real, but I only borrow them for Stephanie´s characters.

*******

**A few facts:**

In late 1975, East Timor declared its independence, but later that year was invaded and occupied by Indonesia and was declared Indonesia's 27th province the following year. In 1999, following the United Nations-sponsored act of self-determination, Indonesia relinquished control of the territory and East Timor became the first new sovereign state of the 21st century on May 20, 2002. (Wikipedia)

**U.N. - **United Nations.

**UNAMET - **United Nations Mission in East Timor.

**UNTAET - **United Nations Transitional Administration for East Timor.

**UNDP - **United Nations Development Programme.

*******

"Dad, come on! I want to go back there. I know that there`s a lot to do, and I can help. Don't tell me there are enough people volunteering over there, because that`s crap, and you know it!"

We had been on the phone for barely a minute and we were already fighting. I knew that it wouldn't be easy to persuade Charlie that it was a great idea for me to go to East Timor. He works for the UNTAET International Civilian Police Contingent (CIVPOL) and had seen too many horrors to count, but I was sick and tired of doing nothing. The month I had spent there during the UNAMET period had given me so much satisfaction. One grain of sand was better than none, right?

"Don't talk to me like that, Isabella! Yes, there`s always work to do, but this has become too dangerous. Are you aware of what happened last week? We lost three great people! I´m not going to allow you to expose yourself to that!"

"You`re not allo ..?– I´m not a child, Charlie! Of course I know what happened, I don´t live under a rock! I was hoping I got to spend time with you when I got there, because I´m going. I have everything ready, Dad. I´ll be in Dili next week. I´ll be helping with the educational project."

"Do you even speak Tetum? Look, sweetheart, that´s not the point. I´m worried, Bella, terrified that something might happen to you."

"I know, Dad, but you, of all people, should understand the need to do something! To help whatever way you can. Please, please, try to see this my way. I´d really like to shoot two ducks with one bullet. I miss you; I want to see you, and I don´t want it to be tense between us."

"Alright, but you´ll be staying with me, and you´ll listen to me when I think it´s too dangerous for you to do something."

"I´ll stay with you, and I´ll listen to you, but you have to give me some credit here, OK? I actually know what I'm getting into, and I don´t have a death wish, so don't worry, I won´t look for danger."

"Danger finds you here, Bella."

"Bye, Dad. See you soon."

*******

The heat and humidity slapped my face as soon as I stepped out of the plane. I searched the crowd for Jake and found him easily; he was so tall he was impossible to miss. I adjusted my bag on my shoulder and made my way to him as fast as I could without tripping over my feet.

As soon as I reached him we hugged, his enormous arms lifting me from the ground effortlessly.

"Welcome back, Bella!"

"I´m so glad to be back! How are you? How are the guys?"

"We're fine," he said, as he put me back on my feet. Something in his eyes told me they were not so fine, though.

"Come on, Jake. It´s me. What happened?"

"We lost Jared." His head hung back as he tried to contain the tears forming in his eyes.

I was stunned. My dad´s words of caution came back to me. Yes, I was entering a very perilous territory. The U.N. had tried their best to maintain security here, but these people had been through too long a period of instability and fear and that had it´s consequences.

"Oh God, Jake! I´m sorry. How's Kim?"

"Devastated."

We arrived at HQ not long after that. Silence had installed itself between us. There was nothing to be said. Jacob was trying to be strong and not crumble, and I was remembering everything about Jared. It´s amazing how cloudy memories get when pain taints them.

"I´m really happy to have you here. I missed you. I´ll see you tomorrow." His eyes were full of pain and hope and… something I could not place. It made me a little uncomfortable.

"I missed you too, Jake. I´ll be there at 8:00. Bye!" I said jumping out of the jeep.

Seeing Charlie was great, I had really missed him. We didn´t talk much, though, but his mere presence was comforting. Like a little girl I felt safe and loved with my dad near. I took care of not letting him know it, lest he get more overprotective.

We were having dinner when the bell rang. I got up to open the door, but Charlie said he´d go. I heard male voices coming from the doorway, but could not understand the words. I waited patiently while continuing to eat.

Soon my dad came back to the table, followed by his visitors.

What I saw a few feet behind him, took my breath away. He could not be real. Tall, lean and elegant, surreally defined body, very pale skin, huge, intensely green eyes, pinkish pout, day-old stubs and crazy bronze hair. He was wearing boots, camouflaged pants, an olive green, very tight t-shirt and around his neck was hanging a stethoscope. I was out of oxygen. I had never, ever, seen such a beautiful man. His eyes were so expressive, so full of longing. His mouth cried out to be kissed and his hands ... oh God, his hands! Those fingers could curl exactly right to stroke my g-spot. _What is wrong with me? How can I be thinking that of a perfect stranger? Yeah… he`s perfect indeed… Shit! When did I become so shallow that I´m on the verge of fawning over a guy´s looks? Umm… well, he is a doctor, working for the UN, no less, and he is ogling -worth… Fuck, Bella, get a grip! _

Belatedly, I noticed there were two very handsome other men there and that my dad was speaking. I had been shamelessly gaping at the gorgeous bronze-haired doctor.

"This is my daughter, Isabella," he said, and, turning to me, he continued. "These gentlemen are Jasper Whitlock, Edward Cullen and Emmett McCarthy."

"Nice to meet you. Please, call me Bella," I said, shaking hands with them. When I shook Edward´s hand I felt an electric current that almost made me jump.

"Bella," the three spectacular men chorused.

They joined us for dinner, and I prepared to hear them talk. I did not feel like joining in a conversation when my brain had trouble remembering to command my lungs to breathe. My very rude silence was not even noticed. They decided to fill me on what they did in East Timor without my even having to ask.

Emmett works with the UNDP in the reconstruction of the infrastructure of… well, everything. The occupation did not only mean the complete halt of any kind of development in this country, but also the destruction of roads, public buildings, villages, etc. It was an exhausting job. The weather and mosquitoes made life miserable for those who weren't used to it. The resources were minimal if you compared them with the enormous task at hand, and you could understand Emmett´s frustration at the pace the project was moving.

Jasper works for the UNTAET Crime Scene Detachment. His is a job I do not envy. Investigating the death of so many hundreds of people, exhumations, and attempts at identification of as many bodies… It was just too much. I felt cowardly and insignificant before so much tragedy. I think he sensed my despair, because he did not go into details of his day to day activities.

Edward, on the other hand, was very talkative. He is a doctor at the UN hospital. Though there was always work for him, he still found the time to help the East Timorese, who didn´t have a decent health system yet. He believed that UNATET should be doing more in this area, it was crucial, after all, but the budget was limited, and providing security and establishing an effective administration in the country had proven harder than expected and, unfortunately, education and health were being practically neglected.

Even with the conversation revolving around such serious subjects, I could not distract myself for long from Edward. The movements of his hands when he talked about something that he felt passionate about, the cloud that covered his eyes when he recounted a particularly sad case, or the way they sparkled when he laughed, his one sided smile and the way he shyly peeked under his lashes when he spoke to me.

I was fucked, and I knew it. I was not one to fall in love or lust so fast, but this man had me thinking and wanting things I should not be thinking or wanting so soon. We had known each other for three hours, for Christ´s sake! I know I was being obvious, even if I was trying my best to behave normally. It was a miracle that Charlie hadn´t throw them out by now. Maybe he hadn´t throw them out because Edward was not at all interested in me. He kept his distance and spoke to me as a gentleman.

Mercifully –unfortunately- our guests eventually left.

In the quiet of my room and away from the presence of Edward, I was convinced that I had overreacted. There was just no way a man could affect me like that. I was lonely, that was all. When was the last time I had been in love? I had to laugh at myself. Love? When was the last time I had had sex? Too long ago… sad, pathetic.

I dreamt of Edward Cullen. I dreamt of Edward Cullen´s hands and mouth all over me.

The next day and the week after that, I was submerged in work. We were attempting to create a national school curriculum, and we didn't seem to agree on anything. Jacob and I wanted to do start from scratch, while others claimed that it was a waste of time, that we should recue something from the very crappy almost non-existing one.

Jacob is a sun. He never loses his blinding optimism and it certainly provides a much needed charge of positive energy when things seemed to become discouraging. We spent a lot of time together, either working or having a beer after work while we rehashed our anecdotes on how we met and how crazy, yet hopeful, things had been back then.

Despite my busy and exhausting days and blacked-out nights, my mind found it easy to dwell on memories of the ridiculously short four hours I had spent in Edward´s presence. His eyes and voice came to the front of my thoughts at the most absurd moments. I wanted to kick myself.

On Sunday afternoon I was trying to read a little, lately all the reading I made was not recreational and I missed reading for fun, when I heard voices downstairs. My heart leapt to my throat as I recognized Edward´s velvet tones.

I was rooted to my bed; I completely forgot how to use my limbs. Should I just go down and say hello? That sounded very ridiculous. He did not, after all, come to visit me. He probably had something work related with Charlie. _What does his work have to do with my dad´s, though? _

Suddenly, I was on my feet before the mirror trying to look presentable and doing my best not to run downstairs like a child on Christmas day.

There he was, more perfect than I remembered, waiting at the bottom of the stairs. I had myself convinced that he was not that beautiful, I was idealizing him out of horniness, for sure. Turns out the man didn't need to be perfected by fantasy.

As soon as he turned to look at me, I tripped. I would have been embarrassed if I had landed face first on the floor. As it was I was utterly mortified that I had landed face first on him. I know it must have hurt him, my cheekbone was killing me, but he circled one arm around me to support my weight as his hand flew to brush my hair from my face.

"Are you OK?" His breath fanned over my face, sweet, intoxicating and addictive. The sound of his voice and the vibrations from his chest as he spoke made me shiver. I just stared at him.

Edward caressed my aching cheekbone as he repeated his question and I blushed. I disentangled myself from his arm.

"Umm… yeah, I think so. Are _you_ ok? That must have hurt you. I`m sorry it was your turn, this was due to happen, it had been almost a week since my clumsy feet worked their charm," I babbled.

He chuckled and reached to stroke my face again. "That´s gonna bruise."

Overloaded by the combined sensorial experiences of hearing him laugh and feeling his fingers on my face, I had to blink several times before answering. "Yes, I´ll probably look like half a raccoon for a week or so."

"Yeah, probably."

"Are you looking for Charlie?" I asked, fighting the urge to hold his hand to my face.

"Oh yeah!" he exclaimed, as if he had forgotten the reason for his visit. "We're supposed to play poker. Emmett and Jasper must be running late."

"My dad plays poker?"

"Well, he tries"

"Is that so?" asked my dad while entering the living room.

"Charlie, when have you ever won against us?

"Today might be the day, Cullen."

"Hope is always the last to die."

Emmett and his wife, Rosalie, arrived not a minute after that. I felt self-conscious around a woman for the first time in my life. Rosalie was intimidating in her beauty.

"Edward, you´re early!" Emmett boomed.

"No, Emmett. You´re late."

"I don´t see Jasper and Alice here."

"You know Alice. She must be getting ready still."

"Edward! How dare you? I was born ready!" an unbelievably sweet female voice said.

*******

"So, you're the famous Bella Swan!" Alice said as soon as we settled ourselves in the living room and "the boys", as they called them, went to the dining room to start their game.

"Famous?" I asked, confused.

She and Rosalie exchanged a meaningful look.

"Why, yes. You`re all we´ve heard about for a week!" Rosalie purred.

"I am? Why?"

"This is a small community, Bella." Alice paused for a second, her meditative expression morphing into one of playful mischief. "Should we tell her, Rose?"

"Yeah… I think we should."

"It seems you have stolen our boy´s heart," Alice declared.

I sat there, blushing and not daring to believe what I thought that meant. As they didn´t elaborate I asked. "What do you mean?"

They both opened their mouths to speak, but were interrupted by Jasper entering the living room.

"Alice, darling, if you´re not going to behave, I don´t think I´ll be playing poker today. I could sense your naughty disposition from the dining room, and there are far better ways to spend that energy on, my love." He was clearly amused.

I blushed crimson red at his more than obvious meaning. Alice giggled.

"Talk about behavior, Jasper! Look, Bella is resembling a tomato!" Rosalie good-naturedly chided.

"What´s going on?" Edward´s voice made me tuck my chin at my chest.

"Oh nothing, Jasper being "Jasper around Alice" and Bella having the pleasure of witnessing it for the first time"

"It´s OK…" I mumbled, trying to regain my composure. What the fuck was wrong with me? I was acting like a shy teenager! I was neither.

Edward chuckled and came to sit next to me. "You´ll get used to them soon enough."

"So? Are we playing poker or are we making fools of ourselves for the ladies' amusement today?" said Emmett, who, I now noticed, was reclined against the doorframe.

The day flew by faster than I would have liked. The girls were great, they have a very well developed sense of humor, irony and sarcasm. They were also sweet and kind, when they wanted to be. Even if they had these general traits in common, they were nothing alike.

Rosalie is passionate, strong, and transparently loyal. She did not have a problem expressing her opinion about absolutely anything at all, from romantic and lustful notions to political and religious standpoints. I could see she could be counted on saying the most indiscreet things at anytime.

Alice is effervescent, provocative and uncannily intuitive. Even through all her innate mischief she is comforting and reassuring, it was evident she chose her words carefully and with purpose. She has the strangest combination of romantic and practical views and not a single prejudice in her heart.

Around six we decided to make a fast dinner of chicken-less Caesar Salad, hamburgers, and apple pie. Soon dinner was ready and we took everything to the dining table where the guys were gathered.

"Clear the table, boys, we made you dinner!" Rosalie announced.

"Oh baby, I have never seen a more beautiful sight!" said Emmett, waving his hand at a hamburger-laden Rosalie.

"Umm… I´m sure you haven´t, but don´t get used to it. I´m neither cooking nor eating hamburgers in a good long while after tonight. Bella doesn't think poorly of using disturbing amounts of bacon, butter or sugar."

We ate and talked animatedly, it was very easy to be with them, as if I had known them my entire life.

Edward was sitting next to me and the occasional brush of his arm against mine sent my mind spiraling down a very naughty road. Every time.

I hadn´t stopped thinking about what Alice had said, and had gone from one improbable hypothesis to another. I had even gone as far as thinking they were talking about Jasper or Emmett, which of course made no sense whatsoever. I could not let my brain elaborate a fantasy where Edward would love me for the rest of eternity. _Did I want him to love me for the rest of eternity?_ In any case, I could not even dream of him wanting me merely to sate his needs with my body. _That, I knew would not be enough, I´d want at least an encore! _I was, in the midst of conversation, internally driving myself crazy. I don´t think I had ever obsessed over anything in my life, let alone a guy who I hardly knew.

I know it was not because he didn´t seem to notice my existence beyond social expectations. I´m not the kind of woman who finds such challenges appealing. I value my time and chasing a visibly uninterested guy did not qualify as worthy of it. So that was not it. His looks? Well, those were something, but definitely not enough. Granted, I had never seen such surreal looks, he clearly belonged in either sex or angels dreams, but it wasn´t like I hadn´t been faced with beauty before. Jake was absolutely stunning. Here at this very table sat two other ridiculously good looking men. I will not include my dad because that´d be …weird, to say the least. And a couple of guys I´ve dated were more than cute. So, that couldn´t be it either.

"Bella?... Bella! Oh my God! Where were you right now?" Alice asked, arching and eyebrow at me.

"I´m sorry, I got lost in my thoughts."

"Clearly," she giggled. "I was wondering about the pie?"

"Oh shit!" I leaped out of my chair and ran to the kitchen.

I was bended over the oven sticking a toothpick in the pie when he spoke. Thank God my reaction was stillness instead of jumpiness, considering what I was doing.

"Need any help?" Edward asked, in a soft, effortlessly seductive voice.

"Um.. sure, grab those dessert plates over there."

I could not help myself as I gaped at the way his muscles moved under his white T-shirt. I sighed and Edward turned his head slowly, looking at me above his shoulder. His eyes were disbelieving, hopeful, and filled with smoldering passion.

I realized I had been caught, not only staring at him, but sighing over him. I blushed and dropped my eyes to the floor, very interested in the pattern formed by the tiles.

"Bella? What was that?" He sounded confused and a little desperate.

"What was what?" I countered in a frosty voice that did not resemble mine.

Where was the coldness coming from? More important, what for?

After a brief moment of silence he spoke, grabbing the plates and starting towards the table. "Nothing, I guess." He sounded dejected.

Disproportional panic gripped my chest, and I had to fight the need to cry. I may not know what was happening to me, but I was sure that I couldn't let him go.

"Edward, wait!" I almost shouted. "I´m sorry! I… I really don´t understand what´s wrong with me… I… explain your question, please!"

"Bella…" he whispered as he came towards me. "I … you have to know the mixed signals you´ve been sending. One moment I think you are… um... interested in me? Which would make me perpetually happy. And the next, you´re detached. A moment ago, I thought I saw … interest in your eyes, I had to ask."

"Me? Detached? What about you? You´ve been nothing but polite to me!"

"Do you want me to be rude?" he asked, befuddled.

"That´s not what I mean… You say I´ve been sending mixed signals? I have only tried -unsuccessfully I might add- to not make a fool of myself. You, on the other hand, barely appear to know I exist."

Without warning he was kissing me. Hard. His hands cupping my face as his lips moved urgently. He tasted delicious. He aligned his body with mine and I moaned. As unexpectedly as he started the kiss he stopped it, but he did not move.

"Is that clear enough for you? I´ve wanted to do that from the second I saw you, but I couldn´t, could I? Not with Charlie two feet from you."

"Ehem!"

Edward and I jumped away from each other.

"No, please! Don´t let me interrupt. I think I´m not two feet from you now, am I?" My dad sounded somewhere between entertained and annoyed. "Where´s that pie, Bella? There´s people waiting for it."

"Yes! Yes! The pie!" I squeaked and took the pie from the oven.

I was halfway out of the kitchen when I heard my dad call for Edward. Automatically I stopped to go back, but Charlie said, "Bella, the pie," pointing a finger toward the dining room, and I resigned myself to abandoning Edward to his own devices.

I placed the pie on the table, where everybody was looking at me with knowing smirks on their faces. I flew back to the kitchen to "bring the plates".

"She´s a grown woman, Charlie," Edward said, patiently.

"She´s still my daughter, Edward. I like you, you know that, but what we do here, the way we live… that´s not what I want for her…"

"Dad," I interrupted. "I think you´re ahead of the facts. Edward and I are just getting to know each other."

"You said you´d listen to me, Isabella. So, listen."

"I said I´d listen when my safety was at stake, this is not the case, Dad. Drop it. Please."

"Fine!"

"Edward, would you like to go for a walk with me?" I asked, reaching for his hand.

"Of course," he sighed.

We didn´t go far, the beach was nearby and we headed there to sit on the sugar white sands.

"So, from the second you saw me, huh?"

"The very first."

"Me too, you know?"

"There was this moment when you saw me, when we saw each other… and I thought –don´t laugh! Through my mind immediately crossed the thought of love at first sight."

"I´m not laughing…"

"… and then you… you just changed your demeanor."

"I did not! I felt like a cat chasing a light, I could not stop myself from observing your every move!"

"That made two of us, then."

"Liar."

"Mmm… it seems you need more convincing," he breathed, closing the distance between us.

He was soft this time. One of his hands tangled in my hair while the other cupped my face, his thumb caressing my cheekbone. He took my bottom lip and sucked tenderly on it.

"You`re so sweet, so soft…"

"Mmm…" was all I could answer.

We kissed like that, lying on our sides on the soft sand, for an undetermined amount of time until our bodies got restless and the gentle kisses were not enough. His lips skimmed down my jaw, and settled for a minute behind my ear. I could not control my erratic breathing. I felt him grow hard besides me, and I grabbed his hip and rubbed myself against him.

"Bella, don´t do that!" He gasped into my mouth.

"You don´t like it?" I whispered.

"Too much, that´s the problem."

"Mmm…" I hummed and rubbed him some more earning a moan.

"Touch me, Edward."

"God!"

I was desperate for his touch, I felt my wetness and need for him grow with each stroke of his tongue and lips on my shoulders, my collarbones, neck. He was driving me insane. Not soon enough his hand was inching towards my breasts and grazed my nipples. The sensation sent an electric current directly to my clit, and I moaned embarrassingly loud.

I dragged my hands over his defined chest and abdomen, then lower, chasing his hardness. I traced a line between his hipbones before dipping my hand and grabbing his cock.

"Ungh!" Edward groaned and then hissed.

"I meant, touch me!"

"Fuuuuck!"

He was quick as he undid the button of my shorts and yanked them off me along with my panties. Opposed to his previous actions his touch was tentative as he tickled the skin of my abdomen and his fingers buried themselves in my folds.

"Yessssssss…. Please!"

"Yes? This is what you want?" His voice was strained but soft.

"More…" I whimpered.

He circled my clit a couple of time and slid a finger inside me, after a few maddeningly slow strokes he slid another and leisurely picked up his pace, all the while pressing his thumb on my clit. Soon, I started to feel an incontrollable heat as my release built within me.

"Yeah… that´s it. Let go… cum for me, baby." Edward´s voice, breathing on my ear just before he nipped my earlobe, was all I needed to unravel and I came chanting his name in a breathless voice.

Before I could catch my breath, I kissed him fiercely and reached for the button of his jeans. He grabbed my wrist to stop me.

"You don´t have to, Bella," he said.

"I don´t have to… but I want to, Edward. You already saw what you do to me, now show me."

Edward placed me on my back and moved to kneel between my legs. He crossed his arms, grabbed the hem of t-shirt and pulled it off him. He was mouthwatering. I followed suit and removed my own camisole. As I reached for the clasp of my bra, Edward stooped me again.

"Allow me." He expertly disposed of the last of my clothing and sighed. "So beautiful."

The wind and the intensity of his gaze made my nipples harden. I sat up to remove his pants but Edward stood up, toed his shoes off and shimmied out of his jeans. I knelt and while kissing his delicious abs I got rid of his boxers. My mouth watered at the sight and scent of him. He was gorgeous. I licked and bit my lower lip, looking up to find his eyes trained on my mouth.

As Edward fell to his knees to face me and kissed me deeply. I took and stroked him with one hand and gently pushed his chest with the other, asking him to sit on the sand. I straddled his legs and worked him slowly and then fast. With the other hand I touched myself and I watched his eyes darken with lust when he saw me.

I monitored his face as he got closer and closer to his peak only to bring him down again and again and again.

"God, Bella… Please... Please…" I kissed his neck and stopped the torture.

Boldly, I position myself on top of him and rode him hard. I was as close as he was and it took three thrust of his hips to get me there. As my walls contracted around him, he climaxed. Edward looked otherworldly as he came, grunting and moaning my name. Head slightly thrown back, forehead furrowed, eyes tightly shut and lips parted, wet and red.

At last he dropped his head on my shoulder trying to regulate his breathing. For a long time we stayed there, hugging, running our hands up and down our backs. As the minutes ticked by I started to think with _my head._

What had I done? I hardly knew Edward! I was irrevocably attracted to him, but _I. Didn´t. Know. Him._ What if he disappeared after this? That brought intense pain, and I felt my eyes tear. Oh my God! What can he possibly be thinking of me now? Does he think I do this all the time? I had never behaved so irrationally in my entire life, but he couldn´t know that!

"You´re so quiet. What are you thinking, Bella?"

"Nothing, really…"

"You´re a terrible liar… I wish I could know what´s going on in that head of yours. Talk to me, Bella."

"I´m afraid," I blurted out.

He lifted his head to look into my eyes and took my face with both his hands.

"I don´t want you to be afraid." He chastely kissed the tip of my nose.

"I don´t do this. Ever, Edward. I´m afraid I ruined this by rushing things. I don´t want you to disappear."

He chuckled. "Bella, Bella…" he whispered as he brushed his lips on my jaw. "There´s nothing short of a restraining order that can keep me away from you. I drove the guys insane this past week."

"Emmett and Jasper?"

"Alice and Rosalie, too. I was trying to convince them to visit you so they could report back to me. Quite pathetic actually. You make feel like an inexperienced teenager."

"And now?"

"Now, we are together. As a couple… if you want to."

"I like that."

"Good."

We watched the stars and, for once, they were not the most wonderful thing in the universe. The awe they usually inspired in me was utterly eclipsed by the man I had found in this most improbable of places. I had come here to help, not expecting anything more than hardship and sacrifice, and yet I already felt like the outrageously lucky winner.

*******

**Sooo… there it is. My first entry for a contest in this Fandom EVER! **

**What do you think? I have a few ideas for future chapters (of course I can´t post until the contest is over) What say you? Would you like to see some more?**

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**I want to thank my beautiful beta Idyss for putting up with my harassment. **

**The amazing Project Team Beta also stepped up and helped me out with this story (at an extremely short notice, I have to say). They are a very dedicated group of people and they Rock!**

**Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!**

**PD.**

**I´ve gotten many favs and alerts for this! And it´is great and I'm dizzy with happiness…**

**But can I ask for something? Please review, too? I mean I know you must like it if you´ve put it on alert and/or have favored it…. But I´d reaaaaaaaaaaally love to know your thoughts, it´s the feedback every writer needs… Puppy face here…**


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